Ed walked from behind his desk and stood at the window of his office, looking at the rows of used cars. “This has been a hard time for our family,” he began again.

Ed, 64, with a receding hair line and soft brown eyes and his wife Rosemarie, 59, dressed in salmon pink, have been the proud owners of Ed and Rosemarie White Auto Sales, located near the Dunkin Donuts on Route 7 in St. Albans, for 41 years.

Four years ago, Ed and Rosemarie took over the care of their newborn grandson, Ashton. Two years ago, they adopted him, taking custody away from their son, Jody.

At the time, Jody was addicted to alcohol and opiates. “As parents, you initially think that you failed,” said Ed.

Jody would end up in jail three times before becoming sober.

“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare,” Ed said, “and until you’ve been there, you can’t say I know how you feel, cause there’s no feeling like it. It’s terrible.”

At night, they worried if Jody would ever make it home alive.

“Then someday, you realize that what Jody went through was a sickness,” said Ed, “and like all other sicknesses, he needed treatment.”

To read the full story of Jody’s struggle with addiction and the impact it had on his family, pick up a copy of the weekend Messenger or subscribe to our digital edition. One day digital passes are also available on our site for $1.